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What Do You Do After Daffodils Lose Their Blooms?

Few plants signal the arrival of spring like daffodils. They have been planted for hundreds of years and are prized for their low maintenance and ability to acclimate to a variety of conditions. Deer and other wildlife leave daffodils alone. After blooming, the instinct of many gardeners is to cut back the foliage. Daffodils need their foliage to generate food for their roots and to store energy for the following year's bloom.

  1. After Bloom Care

    • Resist the urge to cut or tie daffodil foliage after it blooms.

      After each daffodil blooms, remove the flowerheads. This prevents seed formation, which drains the bulb of its food stores. Leave the remaining foliage undisturbed for up to eight weeks. Through photosynthesis, the daffodils create and store food in their bulbs and roots. Many gardeners tie the foliage into bunches. This is not recommended, as it reduces the surface area of the foliage and diminishes the amount of sunlight they receive to photosynthesize.

    Removing Foliage

    • Wipe tools used to cut back daffodil foliage with alohol or hydrogen peroxide.

      Six to eight weeks after blooming, remove the foliage. Hand pulling or picking is the preferred method, as cutting with knives or scissors could spread any virus that may be present. If removing the foliage by hand is too time consuming, sterilize any cutting tools before removing foliage and several times during removal.

    Sparse Flowers

    • A poor showing of daffodil blooms can idicate it is time to divide.

      If you find that your patch of daffodils is flowering poorly, it may be time to divide them. Follow the same routine of picking off the flower heads and letting the foliage die before digging the bulbs up. Carefully dig out the clump of bulbs. Pick off any that remove easily. Don't force them apart as it may damage the bulbs. Discard any that may be rotten. Replant immediately at a depth of 6 to 8 inches and space them 3 to 6 inches apart. If planting is not possible, they can be stored at a temperature of about 45 degrees F. until mid-autumn when they should be planted.

    For Best Results

    • Make sure that daffodils receive enough sun.

      To continue to receive years of thriving daffodil blooms, make sure that they are planted in a proper location. Daffodils should be planted in a well-drained soil, in a location that receives 6 to 8 hours of sunlight per day. Less than this can reduce the amount of flowers that they can produce. Plant bulbs in the fall in clusters for a burst of early spring color.

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Bulbs
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